U.K. Newspapers, Soccer Leagues Reach Compromise On Coverage

A threatened media blackout of Premier League and Football
League matches in the U.K. “has been averted after national newspapers and football
authorities reached a compromise agreement over the use of data and photographs,”
according to Owen Gibson of the Manchester GUARDIAN. The dispute “hinged on
the extent to which newspaper publishers could use photographs and match information
on their own websites and for mobile phone services.” DataCo, the company set
up by the two leagues to safeguard their rights, “was concerned that newspapers
are profiting from the game through fantasy football competitions, mobile score
alerts and downloads.” But the papers “refused to accept a list of demands including
provisions that digital publication of match photographs should be subject to
a two-hour time delay and that up to 7% of revenues from fantasy football competitions
should be returned to clubs.” Newspapers “began to drop
the names of sponsors Barclays and Coca-Cola from their coverage,” while
some newspapers also chose “photographs that obscured sponsor’s logos” on jerseys
(Manchester GUARDIAN, 11/16).